My father was a Virgin Media customer for phone and TV until his death in 2010. My mother and I arranged for the contract to be transferred into her name, and bills have since arrived addressed to my mother.
However we have also received marketing literature addressed to my father, sometimes containing “unmissable offers for Stanley”, which my mother finds distressing. We have contacted Virgin Media on numerous occasions to ask them to remove my father’s name from their marketing database, but to no avail.
I have even written directly to the CEO, and received assurances that this would happen, but it has carried on.
A few weeks ago, Virgin Media sent a notice about a price increase they were applying to the TV package, addressed to my father. We realised we had to respond to avoid the rise, so my mother decided to downgrade her package and we phoned Virgin Media to arrange for the change to be applied. We explained the distress Virgin Media were continuing to cause and the assistant was very sympathetic and again assured us that they would at last, five years after being told, acknowledge my father’s death.
We received the notice confirming the change last week. It was, you’ve guessed it, addressed to my father, and even asked for him to sign a copy of the change notice for their records.
We honestly don’t know whether to laugh or cry. No other service provider has given us similar problems – banks, insurers, pension providers all dealt with our reporting my father’s death promptly, efficiently and sympathetically. Only Virgin Media insists on believing my father is still alive. JH, London W5
Even compared with the numerous examples of insensitive behaviour following bereavement that we have been swamped with from readers over the years, this took the biscuit. We felt your – and your mother’s – pain. You were, understandably, on the verge of threatening to change provider.
But our intervention triggered one of the fastest responses we’ve ever seen. Within three minutes of our email Virgin Media leaped into action, promising that the relevant files were amended and a personal apology made. The following morning you were telephoned by the chief executive’s office, who said the usual bereavement policy was not put in place, and offered a regular monthly discount to your mother to continue with her package.
The company said in a statement: “We have apologised to the H family for the clear upset this has caused. Our usual bereavement processes were not followed in this case but we hope to reach a positive resolution”. We feel it only right to warn you that some marketing material addressed to your late father may still arrive as they have a four-to-six week notice period, but then that should be it.
We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at consumer.champions@theguardian.com or write to Consumer Champions, Money, The Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number
